Welcome!
This Dashboard…
was built by me, Randy Swaty as springboard for learning about the major ecosystems of Michigan, how they’ve changed, and a little bit about how you view them. I am ecologist who studies ecosystems from large to very small. I also love working with students!
As you explore, look for answers to these questions:
- Are you a lumper or a splitter? Why does that matter?
- Of the ecosystems presented here, what percentage of Michigan was/is covered by wetlands? Oh and what is an “ecosystem”?
- How much fire was there in Michigan historically in these major ecosystems?
- Which ecosystems do you think you’ve seen? Which ones would you like to see next?
Blueberries, aerial view of Duck Lake Fire in Luce county Michigan, regenerating maples in light gap, moose (!), happy kid. All photos by Randy Swaty.
Michigan (from 423 miles away!)
From space…
At first glance you may see just blue and green with some gray lines. Look a little closer and you’ll start to see some clouds, especially at the base of the Keeweenaw Peninsula of the Upper Peninsula (U.P). Keep looking-you’ll see lighter greens and darker greens. What does that mean? What time of year do you think these satellite images are from? Zoom in a little. Try to find a farm, a city, maybe even a wetland (hint: look to the eastern U.P.). Look closely at the bottom of the map. Can you find the name of the satellite? There’s a Wiki page about it! To learn more about looking at satellite images go to the earth observatory page.
- Are you a lumper or a splitter? Take this quiz (will be downloaded when you click) to find out and to see why that matters.
- The vegetation maps you’ll see are comprised of 572,176,275 30m x 30m squares we call “pixels”.
- Each pixel was labeled by scientists with the LANDFIRE program.
- Michigan’s major ecosystems presented here cover 30,853,575 acres of Michigan (a little over half the state…there are many more ecosystems!)
Looking back
The Ecosystems
If you took the Lumper-Splitter quiz you already have an understanding about how different people classify and name ecosystems. Note words in the ecosystem names on the chart below-words like “barrens”, “woodlands”, “forest”, (those first three are related to an increase in tree canopy coverage.) “swamp”, “mesic”, and “peatlands” (you know what “dry” means already!). Hit up Google to see what you find. I used LANDFIRE data for all the charts and maps, but feel that Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI) might be the best resource for learning about these ecosystems for Michigan. I’ve listed some dominant species for each ecosystem and linked the relevant MNFI descriptions below. See their key for more information, and to explore all of Michigan’s ecosystems!
- Northern Hardwood Forests-Hemlock: sugar maple, eastern hemlock, American beech
- Beech-Maple Forest
- Alkaline Conifer-Hardwood Swamp
- Northern Pine(-Oak) Forest
- Dry-Mesic Oak Forest and Woodland
- Pine-Hemlock-Hardwood Forest
- Oak Barrens
- Boreal Acidic Peatland Systems(note-please review all peatland types)
- White Spruce-Fir-Hardwood Forest
- Floodplains
Historical Map
What patterns do you see? Use the “Zoom Out” function in your browser to get a little closer.
Remember me asking about historical disturbances like fire? Explore this chord diagram